August/September 2009 Do Hard Things
Have you heard of the "Rebelution"? It's a movement that was started by Christian teenagers Alex and Brett Harris in their book Do Hard Things. The book issues a call to youth to "rebel against rebellion," and, in the face of an ungodly culture that beckons them to waste time on excessive entertainment, reclaim the exhortation of 1 Timothy 4:12: "No one should despise your youth; instead, you should be an example to the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity."
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THE HARD THINGS |
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Alex and Brett Harris and their first book, Do Hard Things
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1. Start an FCA Huddle.
2. Get your Huddle to do a fundraiser for a worthy recipient or organization.
3. Find a way to give Bibles to every coach and teacher at your school.
4. Commit to memorizing the entire book of James.
5. Plan and host a rally to raise awareness for a good cause (e.g. drug-use, local homelessness, child obesity, etc.).
6. Immerse yourself in a foreign language.
7. Lead a food drive for a local food pantry.
8. Fast from Twitter, text messages and wall posts for a semester.
9. Get a high-profile speaker to come to your school and share Christ.
10. Lead a team Bible study.
11. Forego purchasing any non-essentials for the four months (e.g. CDs, clothes, jewelry, electronics, candy, etc.).
12. Collect and donate toiletries to a local women's shelter once every month.
13. Give away one thing you own every week.
14. Work with your local government to help get your community more active.
15. Host a 5K road race to raise funds for FCA or a local non-profit.
16. Train for and run a marathon.
17. Plant a community garden to provide food for low-income families.
18. Spend weekly time visiting with residents at a local nursing home.
19. Cultivate a friendship with someone who isn't involved with sports.
20. Teach someone a skill at which you excel.
21. Commit to praying for at least one hour every day.
22. Write a book.
23. Coach a youth sports team.
24. Develop, set and maintain a financial budget.
25. Volunteer weekly at your local FCA staff office. |
We love it! In fact, we believe so strongly in the potential of FCA student-athletes that we are issuing a semester-long challenge to you to do hard things and, from August to December, join in the rebelution. But, we aren't asking you to do this alone. The STV staff will be making the commitment with you!
For four months (Aug. 1 – Dec. 1), we are each committing to do one of the following tough tasks with you as our accountability partners. Each week, we will be responsible for posting our progress on the STV Facebook page.
Now, if you are daring enough to do this with us, then we want you to make the commitment and let us know about it. Go to the STV Facebook page and post on the wall about what hard thing you are doing to glorify the Lord. At the end of the challenge, we will feature a list of committed "rebelutionaries" on the STV Web site and will even have a special gift for the one with the most inspiring results.
Here's the thing: Every one of you was made for a purpose, and we refuse to let you waste the semester in front of your Xbox 360. So, are you in? If you are, let us know and keep us posted. Remember, as the Body of Christ, we're all in this together!
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For those of you courageous enough to take on one of these challenges, Alex and Brett Harris would like to offer their personal advice to FCA student-athletes.
• Be courageous in your witness (Joshua 1:9).
Ask God to help you be open about your faith this year (1 Peter 3:13-17).
• Be focused on the big picture (Colossians 1:15-20).
It's easy to get so wrapped up in grades, friends and sports that we forget the One who made us and who sustains us (Jeremiah 18:15). Make plenty of room in your schedule to study the Bible and fill your mind with God's truth (Philippians 4:8).
• Be intentional in your love (John 13:34-35).
Don't just hope people notice you are a nice person. Make sure everyone knows you love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:28-31). Go out of your way to show people Christ's love.
"Please take the time to read the Scripture passages we included," said Brett. "After all, the real reason you should do any of these things is because God says so, and because there is true joy and satisfaction in following hard after Him." 
--For more stories about faith and sport, visit www.sharingthevictory.com, the official magazine of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. To subscribe to STV, click here.
Photos courtesty of Multnomah.
